Today's Edition
Baghdad (AFP)
A fire tore through a shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut overnight, killing more than 50 people, medical sources told AFP on Thursday.
"We have more than 50 dead, and many unidentified bodies," a medical source said.
An official in the health department of Wasit province put the toll at 55 dead, adding that rescuers are still looking for missing victims.
Videos circulating on social media showed flames engulfing a five-story building in Al-Kut overnight.
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Wasit province governor Mohammed Al-Miyahi had earlier told the official INA news agency that "the number of victims has reached 50 people dead, in the tragic fire at a major shopping centre".
The blaze broke out late on Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the Hyper Mall.
The cause was not immediately known.
Ambulances were still ferrying casualties to hospitals as late as 4:00 am, filling the wards of a hospital in Kut, about 160 kilometres southeast of Baghdad.
The fire has since been contained, but firefighters were continuing to search for missing victims.
Miyahi declared three days of mourning and said local authorities would file a lawsuit against the mall's owner and the building contractor.
An investigation into the cause was underway, the governor said, adding preliminary findings were expected within 48 hours.
"The tragedy is a major shock... and requires a serious review of all safety measures," he said.
